PENANG, 6 May 2016 - The School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) will be organising a 3-day Course on Descriptive Sensory Analyses for Industrial Applications, which will be held on 15, 16 & 17 August 2016, from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm at the Food Technology Division, School of Industrial Technology, USM, Penang.

According to Hayati Samsudin (Ph.D) fromFood Technology Division, School of Industrial Technology USM, this course is suitable for Food Manufacturers (Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Research and Development in Food Products); Food Raw Material Suppliers (Palm Oil, Seasoning and etc.); Postgraduate Students and Researchers.

Hayati said that, sensory evaluation is a scientific discipline used to evoke, measure, analyze and interpret human responses through the sense of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing for the purpose of evaluating foods and drinks.

"Sensory evaluation of food can be assessed through different sensory evaluation methods such as differences, preferences, rating, sensitivity, and descriptive tests and in order to provide reliable and valid results, sensory panelists must be treated as a scientific tool. 

"The panelists must then be screened, calibrated and validated and the test must be conducted under controlled conditions, using appropriate experimental designs, test methods and statistical analyses," she said.

Furthermore, food sensory evaluation plays an important role in the way people perceive the products and it is crucial to understand consumer preferences in order to produce products that will be sold successfully in the market. 

The sensory attributes such as appearance, aroma, flavor and texture should be described qualitatively and quantitatively by the sensory panelists in order to analyse the quality and the shelf life of the products for commercialisation.

Successfully applied sensory analysis could resolve specific challenges encountered by manufacturers in the preparation of new food products or in the reinvention of existing food products in the market for consumers’ acceptability. 

The Course Fee for individual is RM1,000.00 and covers training materials, refreshments including lunch and a Certificate of Attendance. Fee inclusive of GST (GST registration no: 0012 9141 9648), while Group registration will be given 10% discount (minimum 3 participants in a group) and Student will be given 40% discount (Copy of Student ID is compulsory during registration). For company that contributes to HRDF, this course is claimable under the HRDF SBL Scheme – subject to HRDF approval.

For registration or enquiries, please contact +604–653 3888 ext 5212 or email toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Text: Hafiz Meah Ghouse Meah